Born and raised in Otara, South Auckland, Fiona grew up in a family embedded with Pasifika values, and her Tongan roots. Living with her grandparents, one of the first things she learnt was the importance of hospitality and ensuring her whanau and friends were welcomed and looked after. Fiona’s grandfather inspired her to become a chef, he would get her out of her comfort zone, cooking things she was unsure of, which sparked her passion for cooking and hospitality. After working in restaurants across Auckland for a few years, Fiona wanted to bring her own culture and creativity to her cooking. In honour of her late grandfather and grandmother, Fiona started her catering business Nana’s Kitchen.

Nana’s Kitchen was created to serve Pacific Islanders by providing authentic Tongan and Pasifika cuisine with a modern twist. Fiona creates a range of grazing boxes, platters including hot dishes, breakfast platters, salads, cold dishes and has recently started working lunch box packages too. Creating the dishes she ate growing up is Fiona’s vision behind Nana’s Kitchen, and she hopes to share the food she loves so much with all her customers.

Being an experienced chef, Fiona lacked the business skills and know-how to start her own business, so she applied for The Kitchen Project to help her with this.

“My experiences with the Kitchen Project have been a wonderful journey. I was able to get the help I needed, from food costing to digital marketing and so on. Just being in a room with other businesses hearing what they go through sharing their stories has impacted on me and has helped me see things differently within my business.”

A key highlight for Fiona was our product photoshoot session with a professional photographer, “My favorite part would be the photoshoot, I just loved the whole atmosphere of it and seeing the products of the other businesses.”

Fiona’s vision for Nana’s Kitchen is to have her own venue where families can celebrate special occasions over delicious food. Fiona’s goal over the next five years is to work on making Nana’s Kitchen financially sustainable so she can make her dream a reality!

Nana’s Kitchen currently takes catering and platter orders via their Facebook and Instagram. Check them out today for your next event.